FoodCorps Co-Founder & VP Cecily Upton Joins Congresswoman Pingree’s Farm Bill Forum

Cecily Upton, a FoodCorps co-founder as well as our Vice President of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, joined Congresswoman Chellie Pingree for a public forum on the Farm Bill. 

After holding a Health Care Town Hall on Sunday evening, Congresswoman Pingree convened another public forum early Monday morning in Portland—this one focusing on hunger and nutrition programs in the Farm Bill. Over a hundred people attended to ask questions and hear from Pingree on the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill and the effects Trump’s proposed budget could have on federal hunger programs.

“We like to think that none of our neighbors goes hungry in Maine. But the truth is our state ranks ninth in the nation and first in New England for food insecurity—1 in 4 children and 1 in 7 seniors don’t have reliable access to enough food,” said Pingree. “There is great work being done in our communities to fill that need, but they can’t do it on their own—federal programs play an absolutely vital role. I’ve always worked to defend these effective programs from attempts in Congress to weaken them, and Trump’s proposed budget will mean I will have to fight even harder. His 29 percent cut to USDA and elimination of key programs would be devastating to families in need and rural America as a whole.”